美国加州理工学院Mikhail G. Shapiro研究小组近日取得一项新成果。他们的最新研究开发了能够可视化哺乳动物细胞基因表达的超声成像技术。相关论文发表在2019年9月27日出版的《科学》杂志上。

研究人员表示，对完整生物内部发生的细胞过程的研究需要使细胞功能可视化的方法，例如深层组织中的基因表达。超声波是一种广泛使用的生物医学技术，可实现具有高时空分辨率的无创成像。但是，没有遗传编码的分子报道可用于将超声造影剂与哺乳动物细胞中的基因表达联系起来。

为了解决这个限制，研究人员创造了哺乳动物的声学报告基因。从细菌的基因簇开始，研究人员设计了一个真核生物遗传程序，将其引入哺乳动物细胞会导致称为气体囊泡的细胞内充气蛋白质纳米结构的表达，从而产生超声对比。哺乳动物的声学报告基因可以使细胞以低于0.5％的体积密度可视化，并可以对活体动物中的基因表达进行高分辨率成像。

附：英文原文

Title: Ultrasound imaging of gene expression in mammalian cells

Author: Arash Farhadi, Gabrielle H. Ho, Daniel P. Sawyer, Raymond W. Bourdeau, Mikhail G. Shapiro

Issue&Volume: Volume 365 Issue 6460

Abstract: 

The study of cellular processes occurring inside intact organisms requires methods to visualize cellular functions such as gene expression in deep tissues. Ultrasound is a widely used biomedical technology enabling noninvasive imaging with high spatial and temporal resolution. However, no genetically encoded molecular reporters are available to connect ultrasound contrast to gene expression in mammalian cells. To address this limitation, we introduce mammalian acoustic reporter genes. Starting with a gene cluster derived from bacteria, we engineered a eukaryotic genetic program whose introduction into mammalian cells results in the expression of intracellular air-filled protein nanostructures called gas vesicles, which produce ultrasound contrast. Mammalian acoustic reporter genes allow cells to be visualized at volumetric densities below 0.5% and permit high-resolution imaging of gene expression in living animals.

DOI: 10.1126/science.aax4804

Source:https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6460/1469